Fall Cycle: Applications open the first Monday of October and close the first Monday of November.

Winter Cycle: Applications open the first Monday of February and close the first Monday of March.

During the time windows listed above, students may click Apply Online (right) to access the online Google application form. The Honors Program and its students are very appreciative of the donors who make these grants possible.

Please note: Students who have been accepted to the Honors Summer Fellows cohort or have received a Benedek Scholarship are not eligible to apply for an Honors grant in the same year.

FAQ Regarding Honors Grants

What constitutes an Honors Grant?

Supplementary funding for Honors students’ activities is made possible by generous donations from our alumni and supporters (see below). Priority will be given to research related to Honors theses, presentations at professional conferences, and international travel. However, all current Honors students are welcome to apply. If you have questions regarding eligibility, please direct them to honors.scholarships@umich.edu.

What kinds of expenses are eligible or ineligible?

Our top priorities are to support thesis-related research, research-related travel (including conference presentations), and international travel. Additional proposals will be considered pending available funding.

Please note: Each application for conference presentation travel is individually considered, however, the typical grant amount is $300.

Eligible Expenses

Airfare

Lodging

Per diem

Conference registration fees

We will consider requests under $100 for software if it is integral to research and it is not available on the public domain.

Applications for inducements for research subjects will be evaluated. Requests should be submitted during the grant cycle when research is expected to be conducted. IRB approval, if required, should be obtained or in process. If funding is granted, the student will submit their proposal to the Human Subjects Incentives Program where it will be reviewed. If approved, the project will be funded by Honors through the HSIP.

Ineligible Expenses

UM Tuition including CGIS program fees (although travel funding in support of CGIS trips is eligible). London area study abroad programs are eligible for the Benedek Scholarship. Please view application information here.

Money for living expenses in Ann Arbor in support of summer research (Eligible students should apply to the Honors Summer Fellows program.)

Personal property or equipment that will outlast the research project (e.g. cameras, recording devices, or computers)

Ineligible expenses may not be included in your amount requested from Honors, but may be included in the itemized budget on the application to give the committee an idea of your overall expenses.

What is the application deadline?

The submission deadline for Fall semester is the first Monday of October, closing the first Monday of November, and Winter semester is first Monday of February, closing the first Monday of March.

NOTE: If immediate research needs or opportunities arise outside of the October and February funding windows, students should send a short description of their request to honors.scholarships@umich.edu. These requests will be considered on a case by case basis.

Information regarding faculty endorsements.

Research and travel grant applications for more than $250 require endorsement by a faculty member familiar with the project (e.g. thesis advisor or research sponsor). The three exceptions to this requirement are:

Conference travel

CGIS or other study abroad programs

Summer internships

These proposals do not require faculty endorsement.

You will need to provide your faculty sponsor access to this page, so that s/he may use the faculty link below. The Honors Program will not initiate contact with faculty. This form includes questions on the feasibility of the project, appropriateness of the requested budget, and other sources of funding. Please discuss these issues with your faculty sponsor prior to submitting your grant application to ensure a speedy response. Faculty endorsements must be received for your application to be considered complete and proceed to the review stage. Letters of recommendation from faculty are not required. If you have questions regarding faculty endorsement, please direct them to honors.scholarships@umich.edu.

Requirements for international travel funding.

Any student who receives funding from a U-M unit for their travel abroad must follow the directives of the U-M International Travel Policy and the specified guidelines regarding U-M Travel Warning and Restriction locations. Please visit Global Michigan to check if your destination appears on the U-M Travel Warning and Travel Restriction page. Travel to a destination with a U-M Travel Restriction is prohibited for undergraduate students.

If an Honors grant is awarded to a student for international travel, the Honors Program will not disburse funding until the following conditions have been met by the student. Students must:

Have a Safety Plan approved before departure if traveling to a U-M Travel Warning destination. The Safety Plan must be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to departure. The U-M safety plan process is designed to help U-M students traveling internationally to develop strategies to mitigate health, safety, and security risks while in higher risk locations. Safety plans prepare travelers for their destination by making them aware of potential risks they may face and create strategies to handle such risks. Note: Funding will be withdrawn if we learn that a student traveled to a Travel Warning destination without obtaining an approved safety plan.

The LSA Travel office will notify us that the requirements have been completed.